Badami Mango And Chilli Marinade

While you shouldn’t stick to using just only Badami Mango in this chilli marinade, I would advise against using Alphonso. Try other not very sweet varieties with pleasant acidity, as this will sit beautifully with the heat of the chillies. This marinade is great on chicken that has been pre-seasoned and rubbed with a bit of garlic beforehand. It is also excellent over prawns or with fillets of fish. Another use of this marinade would be with corn on the cob, or into a salad of bitter greens that would benefit from a dressing that’s a bit sweet, spicy and acidic, all at the same time. Charred carrots too, would be a good choice with this marinade. A slab of tofu or paneer will really come alive when cooked with this sauce in the grill. Since this sauce loves smoky flavours, charring is a great way to introduce additional flavour here.

To make a little over a cup of this marinade, start by roasting 1 red bell pepper over a naked flame until evenly charred on all sides. Drop into a bag and seal the bell pepper. The residual heat will allow you to peel it easily. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a kadai and once hot, add 1 medium-sized onion chopped into the oil. Let this cook over medium heat until the onion begins to brown. At this stage, add 1/3 cup of either apple cider vinegar/red wine vinegar/sherry vinegar/sugarcane vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar, a teaspoon of salt, 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp garam masala and 2 slit green chillies. Heat together for 2-3 minutes to combine the flavours. Transfer the onion and vinegar mixture to a mixer grinder with 1 medium-sized Badami mango, cut (or any other mango of your choice) with the charred red bell pepper once you’ve scraped some of the burnt bits off and 3-4 pieces of pickled jalapenos from a jar. Check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary.